By Sophie Van Tiggelen 9 Comments
This persimmon and fennel salad is the perfect fall recipe for the holiday season! The flavors complement each other to form a refreshing and festive looking side-dish. I wish I could tell you about a childhood memory that inspired this autumnal salad, but instead its creation was fed by serendipity. As I was coming back from the farm where I had purchased a big load of grass fed meat, I stopped in a grocery store to purchase a pumpkin to decorate our front porch. Walking through the fresh produce aisle, I spotted the first persimmons of the season! They looked so tempting, neatly arranged on a special display, that I bought two of them even tough I didn’t have any particular recipe idea in mind.
A few days later, when I was sure the persimmons were ripe, I was really eager to incorporate them in my lunch. I also had a fennel bulb in the fridge that I needed to consume. So I started chopping my fennel bulb into thin slices, peeled and sliced a persimmon, added some fresh cilantro (because I love fresh herbs in pretty much everything!) and voilà! Sometimes creating a new dish is quite simple.
Substitutions. If you are out of persimmon, a good alternate would be mango or peaches; they pair quite well with fennel as well. I used fresh cilantro in this recipe, but you may also swap it for other fresh herbs like chives, parsley, or basil.
A word of caution about persimmons. The most common types of persimmonsare Fuyu and Hachiya. Fuyu persimmons are a lighter orange-yellow in color and sort of squat in shape. These are ripe when still firm. Hachiya persimmons are a darker orange and are more oblong or conical in shape. Hachiyas are more flavorful but they must be eaten only when they have reached an advanced level of ripeness, otherwise the flavor will be unpleasantly bitter and astringent. It is a little bit similar to avocados; they take some time to mature but once they reach that point where they become tender to the touch, you have to eat them immediately or they will turn too mushy.
How to cut your persimmon? With a sharp knife, cut off the top of the fruit and the leaves, peel the skin with a vegetable peeler, cut the fruit in half from top to bottom, remove the core and slice thinly.
AIP / Paleo Persimmon and Fennel Salad - Fall Recipe for the Holidays
Prep time
This recipe is 100% autoimmune protocol compliant.
Author: Sophie
Recipe type: Vegetables
Cuisine: Autoimmune Protocol - AIP
Serves: 4
Ingredients
- 1 fennel bulb, with the stalks removed
- 1 persimmon, ripe (read the warning in the post)
- 1/4 cup of fresh cilantro, chopped
- For the dressing:
- 2 TBSP olive oil
- 1 TBSP apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 TSP salt or more to taste
Instructions
- Using a sharp knife, cut your fennel bulb in half from top to bottom. Thinly slice each half crosswise (the thinner, the better).
- Cut off the top and the leaves of your persimmon and peel with a paring knife or a vegetable peeler.
- Then cut the persimmon in half, from top to bottom. Remove the core. Cut each half into thin slices.
- In a big bowl, gently mix together fennel, persimmon, and chopped cilantro.
- Add the dressing right before serving.
- Bon appétit!
This recipe has been shared on the following pages: Fat Tuesday – Phoenix Helix AIP recipe roundtable.
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Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above may be“affiliate links or Amazon affiliate links”. This means that if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive a small affiliate commission. As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsem*nts and Testimonials in Advertising.”
About Sophie Van Tiggelen
Sophie Van Tiggelen is a passionate foodie, recipe developer, author, and photographer. Diagnosed with Hashimoto's thyroiditis in 2009, she used the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) to reverse her condition, and today, Sophie lives a full and vibrant life free from the anxiety and flare-ups that often accompany autoimmune diseases. With her food and lifestyle blog, A Squirrel in the Kitchen, Sophie shares her AIP experience and empowers others to develop new habits to promote good health and wellness. Through years of experience, she has developed simple strategies to be successful on AIP, including numerous mouth-watering, allergen-free recipes that everyone (even those without autoimmune diseases) can enjoy. Sophie is on a mission to make the Autoimmune Protocol - and all that it encompasses - more accessible and sustainable for anyone looking for a more nutritious, more delicious, more health-conscious life.
Reader Interactions
Comments
That salad looks wonderful! Thanks for linking to my post on persimmon varieties. When I hear that someone doesn’t like persimmons, I would put money down on a bet that they ate an unripe Hachiya and their mouth never recovered from that experience!
Reply
Sophie says
Hello Dorothy,
Thanks for your compliment! I have to laugh at your comment because that’s exactly what happened to me the first time I ate persimmon! haha
It is incredible how the taste can go from so bitter to so sweet in just a few days!Reply
TeaJae says
what a lovely salad Sophie, can’t wait to try it. great tips about persimmons as I didn’t know about the variety 🙂
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Sophie says
Thanks for visiting the blog Tracey!
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Andrea Wyckoff says
This is such a beautiful recipe! Two of my favorite flavorful ingredients, persimmons + fennel! I will have to try it for sure!
Reply
Sophie says
Hello Andrea 🙂 Thank you for stopping by! This salad is indeed naturally sweet and flavorful; one of my favorite as well.
Reply
Lydia says
What a pretty salad! And your styling is lovely too. Making it tomorrow because it’s autumn here in Sydney. Tell you how I go! X
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